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My daughters wedding reception was outside COSI on the English Plaza with the cocktail hour in one of the courtyards. From a mother-of-the-bride point of view.....The day of the event was great! The weather was great, the view of the city from the Plaza was great, and the... Read More guests had a great time. The food was described by everyone as excellent - kudos to Chef! The COSI event staff went over and above. They were attentive, ready to help, all while staying late making sure everything went well. As a first time mother-of-the bride I didn't know what to expect. We had trouble getting on the same page early in the process. We struggled in understanding what was included and what was not. Communication could have been better. The issues along the way caused us to be skeptical that all was going to go well. With the help of our wedding planner (Ashley Stephan) and the COSI event staff (Lauren, Savanah, Aaron and Kayla), the English Plaza was an awesome place for a wedding reception. Star rating....food (5), Reception on the English Plaza (5), process along the way (3.5).

Reviewed on
6/01/2017
Dorian S

COSI has a very large selection of spaces to have events. My Ceremony happened in the Planetarium and turned out amazing! My reception was in Gallery 2, and was all and more than I envisioned. Absolutely breathe taking!

Reviewed on
5/17/2017
Why Bother S

Bride here, I could not have asked for a more perfect wedding. Everything from beginning to end was beautiful. Lauren and her staff made sure everything was taken care of and the food was delicious. The level of professionalism was amazing and I could not have asked for a better... Read More experience. My guests were amazed by the Planetarium and the City View space. Even our officiant brought his office friends to see everything. Lauren was so patient with me and my 1,001 questions. I wish I could do more besides review them here, I've been going to COSI since I was a little girl, my very best memories are of the Planetarium. I never thought I'd get married in it. Make no mistake, this is a beautiful place for any bride and groom to say their vows. Some reviews are upset that the museum caters to children (a clear indication if you glance at the website), but there are adult exhibits as well and all of my guests had a blast! We will continue to visit COSI, and can't wait to see what they have in store for the future!

Reviewed on
4/20/2017

I'm the bride's brother. I was not involved in the planning. My sister was looking for a 'sophisticated venue with good food and good views." It was priced a little more than a hotel wedding.... Well, we were disappointed on all fronts. The venue is a children's museum, not... Read More intriguing to adults. The food was far below average. There were no windows in the banquet space, nor were there windows on the way to and from the space. Their motto here is: "Get the guests drunk, so they don't remember how bad the food is." This is not the place for a wedding.

Beautiful Venue

Reviewed on
9/21/2015
Alyssa J

It rained on our wedding day, so we were unable to have our reception outside on the English Plaza, but COSI was able to provide us with a beautiful venue indoors to accommodate for the weather. HUGE shout out to Michael in the planetarium- he was in charge of the night sky... Read More during our planetarium wedding (and I won't even go into the details about the amount of time and energy he put into making our ceremony absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous!), and he stayed all the way through the end of the reception making sure that everything went smoothly.

Great Venue

Reviewed on
9/14/2014
Katie L

We had both our ceremony and reception at COSI, and couldn't have been happier. They have great indoor and outdoor spaces and the staff is phenomenal. It's a little pricier than some other downtown venues, but it's worth it for the convenience - they take care of everything! If... Read More you're looking for a really cool venue that not too many people think of for a wedding COSI is the perfect place!

Simply Amazing

Reviewed on
4/23/2013
Duwain P

Our wedding reception at COSI was pretty terrific. The staff was attentive and organized and their menu options allowed us to manage costs to ensure we stayed within our budget. The food is great and a lot of the decorations / lighting can be added for little to no cost.... Read More Honestly, the reception looked and felt like it cost a lot more than it actually did. We had our cocktail hour in the Ocean Room and our reception in Gallery 1. Our wedding guests left highly impressed with COSI and their staff.

Couldn't have been more perfect!

Reviewed on
11/06/2012
Meredith J

We had our wedding here and it was absolutely perfect! Our friends and family are STILL talking about how fun and unique it was! Our event coordinators made plannnig easy and affordable, and everything was so organized and stress-free on the day of the wedding that all that... Read More was left to do was enjoy myself. I am so impressed, there are no words. Thank you, COSI, for making our wedding special, unique and stress-free!

Awesome Halloween Wedding !

Reviewed on
11/01/2012
Renee V

Our wedding coordinator Elaine was wonderful and helped throughout the process. There were no hitches except for the planned one (getting married :) ). We had a Halloween themed wedding and COSI provided all the lighting and helped with decorations equaling a unique wedding... Read More experience. Thanks again Elaine and the rest of the COSI crew!

Venue Rating Only

Reviewed on
9/06/2012
Meaghan F

COSI is a wonderful place to have a wedding. I had the City View Plaza (outside) and it is beautiful to have the city behind you.

Disappointed experience

Reviewed on
8/27/2012
Jessica L

I was disappointed with COSI. I was double-booked with Festival Latino which wasn't recognized as an issue until the City of Columbus didn't let me get the park permit. COSI claimed they didn't know the fesitval used their plaza which I find hard to believe when it's been... Read More taking place for years. Plus, there are tons of pictures on the festival's site AND you have to pay to rent the space. They moved us inside and gave us a discount as a result, but we ultimately booked there because of the plaza. We would've gone elsewhere had we known we wouldn't be on the plaza for the reception. A big scene was made the day of the wedding that my coordinator had 5 interns to help. After the ceremony, there was no one to direct guests to the cocktail hour in the Progress Exhibit. My event coordinator left around 9-930pm and passed the reception on to the catering manager who was nowhere to be found. I had to ask a catering staff member (who doesn't work at COSI) about turning down lights and she had to use the walkie at the front desk to try to reach him (15 mins later he shows up). Our families provided a lot for the wedding. My aunt made our cake and COSI tried to keep her tier supports. We left to do a sparkler send-off, and when our families came back, the room was almost broken down completely (which is fine, I understand). The issue was anything other than cameras, jackets, cell phones or purses were pitched. We had a photobooth and all our family/wedding party lost their pictures because the staff pitched them. My sister got into a disagreement with a staff member because COSI said the vases I brought into the facility belonged to them - wrong. Our wedding cake was a wedding present from an aunt, and COSI just threw it out without asking us about it. My sister was able to stop them from pitching our dessert table which, again, many family members spent time making (2000+ cookies) as a gift to us and our guests. Lastly, we were charged for 60 cars which was supposed to be an estimate while the actual was provided at the end of the event. No one was in the booth at the end of the night to calculate that so we were charged the full 60 cars. Our hotel was the Double Tree across the river, and a lot of our guests checked-in before the wedding and walked over knowing they would be drinking. COSI was helpful getting me a green room at Noon the day of since the hotel wouldn't guarantee check-in. I liked my new event coordinator a lot more than the previous lady (who resigned for another position), but I was really surprised no one was around during the reception.

Amazing

Reviewed on
11/10/2011
Pamela H

We had our wedding in the City room and our reception on the Plaza deck...The only thing that could have been better was the weather!!! Everyone had a great time!!

Couldn't be happier!

Reviewed on
8/26/2011
Laura W

COSI was so incredibly easy to work with! My event coordinated worked with me to make sure everything was perfect. She worked to set up everything beautifully and I would recommend them to anyone!

Best Reception Venue Overall

Reviewed on
8/04/2011
Leslie D

We couldn't be happier! Our event planner was so nice- and included in our overall cost-and so easy to work with! The room was beautiful! Lighting was excellent, service was great- and their full bar was the best I've ever seen at a wedding! Our friends and family are still... Read More talking about how pretty it was. They transformed a very industrial looking room into a gorgeous, elegant looking wedding reception. No idea how they did it, but it was perfect! Their staff was exceptional. We're very happy with everything.

Wonderful Venue

Reviewed on
7/10/2011
Devon A

I had both my ceremony and reception at COSI in the North Courtyard and English Plaza, respectively. Our cocktail hour was in the Progress exhibit and everyone loved it! Tammy was my planner and she was absolutely wonderful to work with. She was very responsive and had a lot... Read More of great ideas. The food and service was all wonderful. The only hiccups we had were that when people were parking, the attendant didn't ask if they were with the wedding so many of our guests had to pay for parking, and the other slight issue was that the bar at the cocktail hour was not done being set up when people got there yet the bar at the reception was set up by 4:30 (reception started at 7) and they wanted to charge us for an extra 1/2 hour of the bar being open. Still working out the solution to that, but if that's the worst that happens, in the grand scheme of things, no big deal.

Unexpectedly Bad

Reviewed on
6/30/2011
Seth P

We had booked COSI based on reviews and our initial meeting, with high hopes and expectations. However, shortly after, our COSI event planner changed from Samantha to Anna. That is when problems, frustration, inconvenience, and stress occurred on a consistent basis. It was... Read More deeply saddening to see my wife and our parents upset and worried about our big day. Event planning is part of my wife's job duties, and she repeatedly stated how unprofessional incompetent Anna was. Objectively, our overall event planner and others remarked at the incompetence. An example, my wife sent an email, to which Anna responded that she could not respond because she had to run off to a happy hour. Not only was Anna not there on the wedding night, but my in-laws themselves had to tell the staff that the Dipping Dots cart we rented need a server. We were told that the outside courtyard for our ceremony would be cleaned up, it was was not done. We had paid extra for beer to be poured into glasses, it was not done. We were told we would be provided extra rooms for babysitting, vendors to change in, and for us to use to get ready, they were not provided. To be fair, the other staff at COSI were great and we were actually somewhat thankful Anna was not there that day. Thankfully, like most weddings were things go wrong, most guests were none the wiser to all the incompetence we experienced (except the unclean courtyard and beer not in glasses). Overall, we were very disappointed in COSI's customer service. Thankfully, our caterer (Cameron Mitchell) did an outstanding job and really made our night special.

Better than I could have ever expected......

Reviewed on
1/01/2011
Jamie F

Our day at COSI exceeded my expectations. Our wedding/event coordinator was amazing! Very helpful, always able to answer our questions, and enthusiastic in general. The day could not have gone any better! The atrium transformed from a Lego city into a fabulous and elegant... Read More setting for our ceremony. I heard the cocktail hour in the ocean exhibit was so different and cool (we missed it-we were taking pictures), and the reception in the gallery was amazing (with our names on the wall and the lights going up the wall). The staff (in general) was extremely helpful with setting up, packing, ect-you name it-that would help with it!. I would highly recommend COSI-it was a very unique venue, fit our personalities, great staff, and the food and service were excellent! Our day could not have been more amazing!

Rave reviews

Reviewed on
12/01/2010
Jennie B

I can not only speak for the groom and I, I can speak for our parents, our bridal party, and all our guests...COSI was fantastic. Saying that Samantha, our coordinator from COSI, was a pleasure to work with is an understatement. When asked why I wasn't more stressed for the... Read More big day, Samantha was one of my answers. She helped to answer questions we hadn't even thought to ask, coordinated with quick response time, and helped us to have fun during the planning. Our guests raved over the results. Seeing pictures of our guests having fun in the Ocean section, then enjoying a formal dinner in the gallery space helps us see that COSI captured the playfully formal vibe we were going for. Having our reception at COSI helped our big day be memorable for all our guests, not just us.

Strongly Discourage

Reviewed on
11/20/2010
Katelyn J

While COSI is a beautiful unique place to get married...keep in mind that their primary business is that of a science museum. And they make that clear on your day. They are completely disorganized, rude, unreliable and completely overpriced. My wedding planner assured me that... Read More we could take pictures anywhere in the museum..and when my photographer cost $5,000 I thought well that is GREAT! Well my post ceremony photos happened to start at 5:30 and with the family photos taking 15 minutes we were excited to start the fun photos in the exhibits that we had "full" reign of! Security ushered us out after 15 minutes because the exhibits were closing. WOW! After I paid COSI a ton they couldn't chill out for 15 MORE minutes? Even my photographers were annoyed with how rude the staff AS WELL AS MY WEDDING PLANNER WAS. She didn't show up for the rehearsal...which she promised she would be at. She was no where to be found before my wedding, so my family set up the chairs for the ceremony and then she claimed her staff was on their way to do it....but with 30 of my family looking for someone you would have thought they could have found at least one staff member...hmm let's see...the female bar tender rolled her eyes at 8 of my guests, poured glasses of wine 1/4 full, muttered things under her breathe when someone would order a drink she didn't know how to make...however when she rolled her eyes at the Father of the Groom (who is paying her to do her job) the Bartenders manager had her go home and rectified the situation. SO thank you to her. My reception was outside and it went into the night...i asked a couple of weeks prior to my wedding if we needed to invest in some lighting for the Plaza Deck...my wedding planner said they have never had a problem and that the skyline and the COSI lights were more than enough....so when it got dark and my votive candles on the tables were light it was black as..well NIGHT. Now my photographer and videographer have no light and couldn't do anything the rest of the night...Just another thing that could have been avoided if she would have done her job...but she left a half hour after the ceremony so eh what does she care. I know this sounds like I'm a psycho bride that wants everything her way...but I'm not. My wedding was PERFECT! However it was all due to my family and friends stepping up...we would not have had music if it weren't for friends testing the sound system 2 hours before the ceremony..finding it didn't work and then bringing in there own amps and sound system. MY GUESTS did THEIR job and because of them it was perfect! COSI is beautiful there's no doubt about it, but then again so is a lot of places for the same amount of money or less.

Above &amp; Beyond

Reviewed on
11/18/2010
Samantha D

We cannot say enough about our experience at COSI! As any other romantic and feminine bride can imagine the hesitation I felt when my husband wanted to move our wedding from a beautiful romantic country club to a... science museum... However, I wouldn't have changed our decision... Read More for the world. Our event planner, Samantha, went above and beyond at every chance to make sure that my vision and childhood dreams came true. Our ceremony space was whimsical, our cocktail hour modern, and our reception was classic and romantic. The food was delicious, and all of the catering staff very professional. We got SO many compliments about how unique and wonderful our wedding was. It was perfect thanks to COSI &amp; their team. You can't ask for better service, better people, or a better location. It is undoubtedly worth checking out... especially if you want to make your groom FELL like he had a say ;) You will not be disappointed.

Overall really good

Reviewed on
8/31/2010
Amanda F

The Cosi event coordinator kept in great contact with me during the planning. when the actual wedding came around- they were great! The Rain wasn't being nice, so they did everything they could to make sure it was outside on the roof top like i had dreamed of. Only thing is the... Read More pricing is a little outrageous, they should be glad they're the only wedding venue in columbus with a view like that of the city. The Charge for EVERYTHING you can think of even the little stuff. They didn't realize that i paid for the champagne toast for my guests so that wasn't ready for the reception. Caused a delay &amp; it kind of was irritating, but they made it right.

Review for COSI, Center of Science and Industry

Reviewed on
9/07/2008
Merrily R

The outdoor English Plaza at COSI offered a spectacular urban setting that was ideal for our New York City themed wedding reception. The city skyline was stunning as the evening fell. IT was unusual fun and gorgeous. The staff was wonderful to work with.;Planning a wedding... Read More reception at COSI can be complicated. Contract with COSI for venue rental Contract with SODEXO (required) for beverage service Permit for city park rental Permit for street closure Contract for caterer (can select your own) Contract for tent tables chairs dance floor Contract for decorating company for lighting and other decorations Contract for DJ Contract for florist BUT IF YOU WANT A SPECTACULAR MEMORABLE EVENT THE EFFORT IS ALL WORTH IT.